Machine for decapping, filling, and recapping capsules.



No. 774,378. PATBNTED N07. s. 19o-4. A. K. CARTER.

MACHINE POR DECAPPING, FILLING, AND RECAPPING'GAPSULES.

. APPLICATION FILED 00T. 1e, 1903. 11o-MODEL.

A. K. AR'I'BR. MACHINE FOR DECAPPING, FILLING, AND REGAPP APPLICATIUNFILED 00T, 16, 190s.

ING CAPSULES.

NO MODEL.

aww.

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. "117 i! muy w PATENTED NOV. 8. 1904.

ZSHBETS-SHEET 2.

` UNK-FED :.fSTATEs Patented November 8, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

vALviN KQ CARTER, oF sYRACUsE, N-Ew YORK.

MAC-HNE FOR DLECAPPING, FILLING, AND RECAPPING CAPSULES.

srnclrlcn'rlon forming part af Letters Patent No. 774,378, datedNavexaber s, 1904.

Application Hed-October 16,1903. Serial No. 177,280. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: l

Be it known'that I, ALVIN K. CARTER, of Syracuse, in the county, ofOnondaga, in the `State of' New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Decapping, Filling, and Recapping Capsules,of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings; isa full, clear, and exact description. i

This invention relates toA improvements in machines for decapping,iilling, and'recapping capsules in which the empty capsules are placedpromiscu ously in a suitable hopper and are then automatically fed oneby one to a separating device where the bodies of the capsules aresuccessively withdrawn from their caps and are automatically filled withpowder or other material and afterward reinserted into Y theirrespective caps ready for the market.

' .miscuously into a hopper 1, having its sides andbottom-inclining.downwardlyhtoward an outlet-opening 2 iniits base, sothat 'the cap-I svo The object is to render the operation of decapping,filling, and recapping continuous and automatic and as simple,expeditious, and reliable as possible.

In the drawings, Figure `1 is an elevation, partly in section, of amachine for carrying out the objects of my invention. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal sectional view taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3is adetail'sectional view of portions of the two lower disks, showing therecapping and discharging plungers and their operating devices. Fig. 4is a top plan of a portion of the hopper and the guide for thelcapsules. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of the main driving-gears forthe disks. Fig'. 7 isadetail view of the cam and yoke for voperating thefillerplungers. Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of the decappingmechanism. Y

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding' parts in all` theviews.

The empty capsules, as a, are dumped prosules will gravitate into theopening, which is somewhat elongated 1n one direction and slightlygreater in width than the diameter of the capsule-to cause the capsulesautomatically right themselves `lengthwise of the opening. This hoppermay besupported in any desired manner, but isshown-as mounted rises froma supporting-base 4. At the botvice 5, having la series of radial arms6, which engage' and feed the capsules one -by one upon faces of thearms being concave in cross-section, so as to facilitatethe rightingofthe captator and feed device is also mounted upon 9, which is journaledin the basefl and is provided with adriving-pulley 10, to be connectedto any source of power. (Not shown.)

The-guide or race 7 consists of 'a table or bed which inclines upwardlyand laterally from the oase of the discharge-openingof the hopper and isformed with a lengthwise slot 11 of substantially the same width as-fthediof the upper section or cap, and the capsules are thenjed one4 by oneinto the race with the 'lower edge of the cap riding on the upper facesof the walls of the slotll, and the loweil sections are therebysuspended and ride in the slot. At or near the outer end of the racewaythe slot 11 is enlarged suiiicientto permit the capsule-caps topass'therethrough-f e.,the ways upon which thelower edge of lthe cap-rides are cut away; but the distance between this enlargement 12 andthefeed device is suficien't to receive and hold the number of the capsuleswhile being fed vto the'enlargement or discharge-opening of the raceway.An upright tubular guide 13 is held in vertical alinement with andbeneath the enlarge- .ment 12 by an arm 14 of the standard 3 andreceives the capsules `as they successively gravitate from theracethrough said enlarge- 'fm'ent The interior diameter ot' -this tubeis' slightly greater than the diameter of the cap of the capsule, sothat the 'capsules gravitate readily through the tube, 'which issuciently long vertical-ly to retain a definite number of the capsulesin pan vupright position one upon the ot er The upper endv of the tubelies in a plane substantially coincident with the plane upon the upperend ofa standard 3, which and along a suitable/guide or race 7, thefront' sules as they are fed to the race. This agitom of thedischarge-opening is located a-continuously-revolving agitator andfeeding dethe standard 3 and is driven by a belt 8 from acontinuously-revolving maindriving-shaft ameter of the lower or smallersection of the capsule, but 'of less width than the diameter IOOraceway, so `that they may ride freely over the tube, and when the tubeis filled with capsules the upper end of the upper capsule in the tubeis in substantially the same plane and supports the capsule, .which maybein the enlargement of the race.

.The outer end of the slot 11 beyond the enlargement is open, so thatwhen the tube 13 is filled the capsules may still continue to be fedalong the race and beyond the enlargement, so that the end onesaresimply forced through the open end of the slot and maybe returned byhand or otherwise to the hopper.

The slot-11, feeding device 5, and raceway 7 constitute means forfeeding and righting the capsules right side up with their capsuppermost, in which position they gravitate suc 'cessively into theguide 13.

Any capsules which may be fed forwardly bottom side up by the device aremerely forced out through the slot 11 and fall beneath the raceway 7.

The sloping sidesand bottom which terminate in an elongated opening onVthe base of the hopper cause the capsules to fall lengthwise u pon theradial wings of the rotary feeding device 5, in which position they arefed by the wings into the slot.11 of the race 7.

Directly beneath the lower open end of the tube 13 and in closeproximity thereto is a horizontal rotary carrier 15, having a circularconcentric row of openings 16, which are intermittently andlsuccessively brought `into registration with the lower end of the tube13 as the carrier is rotated. This carrier is secured to anintermittingly-rotating upright shaft 17, which is driven from the mainshaft 9 through the medium of gears 18 and 19 of any desiredconstruction to cause the disk or carrier 15 to rotate step by step tosuccessively register the openings 16 with the dis# charge end of thetube 13.

As seen in Figs. 1, 5, and 6, the gear 18 on the upright shaft 17 isprovided with a number of. spurs or teeth corresponding to the number ofopenings 16 in the carrier, and the gear 19 on the main shaft 9 isprovided with a single spur or tooth, whereby the disk 15. is rotatedthrough an arc equal to the space between the radii drawn through thecenters of adjacent openings 16 at each revolution ofthe main shaft, andthese openings 16 are therefore successively centered with the tube andare temporarily held in this position during the remainder of therevolution of the main shaft by a spring-detent 18', Fig. 1. Theseopenings are of the saine height or length as the caps of theapsules,and directly beneath the lower face of the carrier and in closeproximity thereto is a fixed, plate 20,

havingan opening 21 alinedwith the discharge end of the tube 13 and justlarge enough to easily receive the lower section 'of the capsule,

but of iless diameter than the cap, so that as the capsules aredischarged from thev tube into l the alined opening 16 the lower'edge ofthe cap rests on the top Iface of the plate 20, whilev the lower sectionof the capsule 4protrudes through the opening 21.` A second upright tube22 is fixedly supported in an arm 23 of the standard 3 and is registeredwith the opening 21 in the plate 20, so that the lower section of thecapsule in the opening 21 also projects into the upper end of the tube22. At this point the capsules are decapped bya pair ofcontinuously-rotating gripper-rollers 24, which are driven from YtheVmain Vshaft 9 by a and force the same down through' the tube 22.

A second carrier 27 is secured tollthe upright shaft 17 some distancebeneath the carrier 15 and is provided with a circular concentric rowThese openings 28 are successively registered with the lower end of thetube 2,2 and are of just sufficient size'to easily receive the lowersections of one of the capsules as it is discharged .from the tube 22, afixed plate 29 being supported directly beneath the openings 28 to fornia stop and support for the lower capsule-sections. It is now evidentthat this decapping operation is performed while the disks 15 and 27 areat rest and that the caps are retained in the disk 15,' while the lowersec-4 tions are deposited into the disk 27. Now when the disks 15 and 27are rotated one step, as previously described, another set of openings16 -and 28 are brought into registration with the Atubes 13 and 22 andthe operation just stated is repeated, while at the same time the capsand lower sections in the carriers are carried forwardly onel space orstep and rest upon the plates 2O and 29. These capsule-sec tions arethus carried forwardly step bystep, and the lower sections, with theiropen ends uppermost, are brought into registration with thedischarge-nozzles of a suitable filler which contains the powder to bedeposited in the capsules. This filler comprises a hopper 30, having oneor more (in this instance three) discharge-nozzles 31, in which areverticallyedly supported by a bracket 33, and the nozzles are spaced sothat three of the lower sections of thev capsules are registeredtherewith at the saine time when the machine is in full operation.

guided in openings in the bracket 33 and are actuated downwardly intothe nozzles when may be employed to actuate these plungers; but theyokeis preferably pivgted to the intermediate portion of a lever'35, whichis fulcrumed at one end to a fixed support 37, and

of openings 28 in vertical alinement with and corresponding in number tothe openings 1 6.

belt 25 and gears 26, said gripper-rollers be IOS IIO

movable plungers 32, the hopper being fix- 'lhe plungers are mounted ona yoke 34 and l the disks or carriers are at rest.. Any means its otherend is connectedby' a link 38 to a' cam or eccentricl) on the main shaft9, the throw of theV cam following soon after the shift of the carrierby the gear19 and is sufficient to forcethe plungers through the"nozzles, but not into the capsule-section. A limited quantity of thepowder is fed bythetirst plunger nearest to the tube 22 topartially-lill the capsule alinedtherewith, and at the next 1o shift ofthe carrier more'powder is added to the same capsule by the secondplunger, while at the next shift the' powder fed -by the third plungeris suilicient to till the capsule. This lling of the capsules by degreesis found to be more practicable than filling with a single stroke of asingle plunger; butit is evident that the latter may be employed, ifdesired.

'lhe operations of and mechanisms for de'- capping and filling thecapsules have now Abeen zo described, and the next operation is toreinsert the filled capsule-sections into their respective caps. `Incarrying out this latter operation a third carrier or disk 40 is mountedupon a rotary shaft 41 just above the lowerA 2 5` carrier 29 and isprovided with a circular row of openings 42, which are successivelybrought into vertical alinement with the openings 28,' or, rather, theseopenings 28 and 42 are successively brought into registration with yeachother by each step-by-step'movement of the carriers and 27. The radii ofthe several carriers from their axes' to the center of the. openings aresubstantially equal and each car` rier is provided with the same numberof openings 16, 28, and 42, while the intermittent movement of thecarrier isthesame as for the other carriers and is effected'through themedium of. the intermeshing gears 43 on the shafts 17 and 41. Thecarriers 27 and 40 are arranged so that two adjacent openings of onecarrier are brought into registration with two adjacent openings oftheother carrier, as seen in Fig. 3. A third upright tube or guide 44 isinterposed between the carriers 15 and 40 almost diametrically oppositeto the tube 22 to conduct the caps from the carrier .15 to the carrier40. Thefupper end of the" tube 44 is registered with an opening 45 inthe plate 20, while its lower end is registered withone of the openings42, which extend throughthe carrier 40, said openings and tube beingsuiiiciently large in diameter to permit the caps to readily and easilygravitate from the carrier 15 to the carrier 40. The openings 42 are ofsubstantially the same depth as the length of the complete capsule, butare each formed with an air'v nular shoulder 46, about midway upon whichthe cap rests when received from the tube 44.

` The lower part of each of the openings -42.

tapers upwardly, so that -the'diameter of thel annulus 46 is slightlyless than the inner'diameterof the cap which is in its upper part, theobject of this being to slightly compress the upper end of the filledsectionof the capsule to permit it to enter the cap easily when forcedupwardly,as presently described. Af-

ter the cap hasthus been deposited i'n the .opening of the carrier 40all of the carriers are moved one step, which brings two of the'`openings of the carriers '29 and 40-in -aline- 7o l'ment at one side ofthe tube 44 and under a vfixed abutment or stop-47, which in this in`stance projects laterally, from the base of the tube 44. Y It is nowunderstood that' one of these alined openings 42 contains a cap, while75` the lower opening registered' therewith contains alilled lowersection of the capsule, and that the head1 of the cap is directlyunderthe abutment 47.` Now while'the carriers are at rest in thisposition the filled capsule-section 8oA is forced upwardly through the.opening '42 and into the cap alined therewith by means r of a plunger48', wh :h is actuated by a cam 49 on the main shaft through the mediumof a lever 50, as seen in Fig. 3. The filled cap- 85 -sule has now beenrecapped, but remains in the carrier 40; and after two or more succes-vsive movements of the carriers, or as soon as v the recapped capsule iscarried out of the way of the carrier 27, an additional plunger 51 is 9ooperated to force the filled and recapped capsule out of the opening inthe carrier 40. This plunger 51 is actuated by a cam 52 on the mainshaft 9 through the medium of a lever 53, and as soon as the recappedcapsule is ex- 95 pelled from the carrier 40 it is removed by a sweep55, whichis also actuated by a cam 56 on the main shaft through themedium of a rock-shaft57, to whichthe sweep-is secured.

It-has now -been'shown' how a capsule is de- 10 capped, filled, andrecapped successively as it passes through the machine, and itis evidentthat as each opening of the carrieris presented to the tubev 22 itreceives a capsule-l section and carries it to the filler and that thefiller-plungers as well as the recapping and expelling plungers operateduring each period of rest. Y

Having thus described my invention, what l claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a'machine for decapping, filling and Lecapping capsules, a hopperand an upright guide at one side ot' the hopper, in combination with arace for the capsules leading from 1 15 the hopper to the guide, and afeeding device in the base of the hopper for feeding the capsules fromsaid hopper and forcing them along the race.

2. 1n a machine for decapping, filling and 120 recapping capsules. arighting and feeding mechanism` comprising a-hoppcr having a disycharge-opening for the capsules, a raceway extending laterally from thedischarge-opening and having a slot of less width than the dameter ot'the cap of the capsule and rotary means .movable in the opening of thehopper for feeding the capsules one by one intothe slot with their capsriding on. the walls of said slot. I 3o 3. In a machine for decapping,filling and recapping capsules, an upright guide, a racefway having adischarge-opening alined with the upper end of the guide, a hopper forthe capsules and a rotary feeding device in the base of the hopper forfeeding the capsules one by one into the raceway.

4.' In a machine for decapping, filling and recapping capsules,mechanism for separating the capsule-sections including a pair ofrotatable rollers engaging and drawing one part of the capsule from theother.

5. In a machine for decapping, filling and recapping capsules, aholderfor the cap and register the bodies of the capsules with therollers, whereby the rollers engage and draw the body from the cap, andholding means for the caps.

8. In a machine of the class described, a lfixed vertical guide for theempty capsules, mechanism to feed the capsules into the guide with thecaps uppermost', and decapping mechanism includinga pair of rollers forengaging the body of the capsule to draw the same from the cap, andholding means for the cap.

9. In a machine of the class described, a carrier rotating step by stepand operating means therefor, in combination with mechanism to feed theempty capsules one by one to the carrier at each movement,.rotatingrollers engaging and withdrawing the bodies ofthe capsules from theircaps, and operating means for the rollers.

10. In a machine for automatically decapping, filling and recappingcapsules, the combination with mechanism for feeding the empty capsules,decapping mechanism including rotating gripping-rollers and operatingmeans therefor, mechanism for filling the body of the capsule, andadditional mechanism for reuniting the capsule-sections.

-11.` In a machine -for automatically'decapping, filling and recappingcapsules, a decapping mechanism including a pair of grippingrollers forengaging and drawing the body of the capsule from the cap, a fillermechanism, means for conveying the body of the capsule from the decapperto the filler, and mechanism for reuniting the capsule-sections Y 12. Ina machine for automatically decapping, filling and recapping capsules, adecapping mechanism including a pair of grippingrollers, mechanism tofeed the empty capsules one by one to the decapping mechanism, -a

filler mechanism, a recapping mechanism, and means to convey thecapsules consecutively from the decapper to the filler and then to thedecapping mechanism.

13. In a machine for .automatically decapping, fillingand recappingcapsules,the combination of two carriers rotating together step by step,operating means for the carriers, mechanism for feeding the emptycapsules one by one to one carrier, mechanism separate from the carriersfor separating the capsulesections and conducting the body to the'othercarrier, means to hold the cap in the first-named carrier, mechanism forfilling the body at a subsequent movement of the carriers, andadditional mechanism for reuniting vthe filled capsule after a furthermovement of the carriers.

14. In a machine of the class described, the combination of an uprightguide, means for feeding empty capsules into the guide, a rota'rycarrier movable step by step and provided with a series of openingswhich are successively registered with the lower end of the guide forreceiving the capsules,a gripping device at the upper end of the guidefor engaging and drawing the body of the capsule from the cap, means tohold the cap in the carrier, a second upright guide with which theopenings of the carrier are successively registered, a second carrierrotatable step by step and having a series of openings registrable withthe lower end of the second guide, means to actuate the carrierssimultaneously, mechanism flor filling the capsule-bodies as they areadvanced to one position, and mechanism for reuniting the body to thecap when the carriers are advanced to another position;

15. In a machine for decapping, filling and IOO recapping capsules,mechanism for separating y the capsule-sections, mechanism for fillingthe capsules, and mechanism for reuniting the capsule-sections incombination with two carriers separate from the capsule-separatingmechanism and movable step by stepfor carrying the capsule successivelyto the separator, filler mechanism and reuniting mechanism.

16. In a machine for decapping, filling and recapping capsules, tworotary carriers one above the other and having a common axis, eachcarrier being provided with acorresponding number of openings, means torotate the carriers step by step, means for feeding the empty capsulesinto the-openings ofthe upper` carrier, mechanism for withdrawingthe4bodies of the capsules from their caps-whilel in the upper carrier,.afixed guide for conducting the bodies from the withdrawingmechanism tothe openings in the lower carrier, a powder- Vcontaining hopper betweenlthe carriers and having an outlet withv which the .openings in the.lower carrier lare successivelyvregistered to permit the powder to enterthe body of the capsule, and mechanism for reuniting the-capsule-sections after the filling operation.4 u

17. In a machine for decapping, filling and recapping capsules, twohorizontal rotating carriers arranged one above the other and eachhaving a corresponding number of openings, mechanism for feeding theempty capsules into the openings of the upper carriers, i mechanismseparate from the carriers fordrawing the body of the capsule from thecap while in the upper carrier, a fixed guide for conducting the bodiesof the capsules to the openings in the lower carrier, mechanism forfilling the body of the capsules while in the lower carrier, a thirdcarrier having openings movable into registration with those in, theupper and lower carriers, a guide for conducting the caps from the uppercarrier to 15 H. E. CHASE, MLDRED M. No'r'r.

